# why underwear **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 1, 2003, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-underwear/210806 "2003-11-01T07:20:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![optimystique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/b38774/32.png) [@optimystique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/optimystique)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2003, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-underwear/210806/1 "2003-11-01T07:20:51Z")
I know this may sound like a silly question, but here goes: What is the use of wearing underwear? If one were wearing a skirt then it would be justifiable but why wear underwear underneath pants or jeans? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2003, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-underwear/210806/2 "2003-11-01T07:28:35Z")
For guys, it provides a layer of protection against tackle-caught-in-zipper. Also, you can never shake the last drop off and I don’t want that stuff on my jeans. For girls… no idea. You should all stop wearing it. ---
**Author:** ![thatDDperson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9de0a6/32.png) [@thatDDperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thatDDperson)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2003, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-underwear/210806/3 "2003-11-01T09:22:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by optimystique \* > \*\*I know this may sound like a silly question, but here goes: What is the use of wearing underwear? If one were wearing a skirt then it would be justifiable but why wear underwear underneath pants or jeans? \*\* Heh. You’re obviously young. Where are us old folks gonna put our Depends pads?? Actually, for a lot of women, it’s a comfort issue. Jeans can be rough, there are ALWAYS seams meeting in the construction of slacks…i’d rather have a layer of a soft fabric between me and poorly finished seams. Preferably cotton. Hygiene also comes to mind. Have a baby. Get about 8 months pregnant, then sneeze. You’ll beg for my Depends pads… ---
**Author:** ![thatDDperson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9de0a6/32.png) [@thatDDperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thatDDperson)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2003, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-underwear/210806/4 "2003-11-01T09:25:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by optimystique \* > \*\*I know this may sound like a silly question, but here goes: What is the use of wearing underwear? If one were wearing a skirt then it would be justifiable but why wear underwear underneath pants or jeans? \*\* Heh. You’re obviously young. Where are us old folks gonna put our Depends pads?? Actually, for a lot of women, it’s a comfort issue. Jeans can be rough, there are ALWAYS seams meeting in the construction of slacks…i’d rather have a layer of a soft fabric between me and poorly finished seams. Preferably cotton. Hygiene also comes to mind. Have a baby. Get about 8 months pregnant, then sneeze. You’ll beg for my Depends pads…:rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2003, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-underwear/210806/5 "2003-11-01T12:27:19Z")
Do you wash your jeans every time you wear them? I don’t. That’s why I wear underwear ---
**Author:** ![AbbySthrnAccent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@AbbySthrnAccent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AbbySthrnAccent)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2003, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-underwear/210806/6 "2003-11-01T12:55:35Z")
Underwear is for support and to keep your clothing relatively clean for the next wearing. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2003, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-underwear/210806/7 "2003-11-01T13:13:54Z")
If you would cleanse your body properly after using the toilet, then you would not need underwear to sop up the excess filth. Any guy who says that he cannot extract the last piss drop before zipping up is just being lazy. If you put in just a little extra effort on personal cleanliness, then you never need to walk around with urine and fæces soiling your clothing. If you cannot manage this basic art of civilized life, then I pity you. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2003, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-underwear/210806/8 "2003-11-01T13:42:53Z")
\>Any guy who says that he cannot extract the last piss drop before zipping up is just being lazy. How the Hell do you know? If I shook it any longer, something else would start coming out. Any chance some of us might not work just exactly, precisely like you do? Sheesh. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2003, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-underwear/210806/9 "2003-11-01T13:44:35Z")
\>fæces Oh, and one other thing - if you cannot resist showing off your keyboarding skills, then I pity you. ---
**Author:** ![fortytwo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f9ae1b/32.png) [@fortytwo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fortytwo)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2003, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-underwear/210806/10 "2003-11-01T14:02:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jomo Mojo \* > \*\*If you would cleanse your body properly after using the toilet, then you would not need underwear to sop up the excess filth. Any guy who says that he cannot extract the last piss drop before zipping up is just being lazy. If you put in just a little extra effort on personal cleanliness, then you never need to walk around with urine and fæces soiling your clothing. If you cannot manage this basic art of civilized life, then I pity you. \*\* Just one question. How old are you? V ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2003, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-underwear/210806/11 "2003-11-01T15:12:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jomo Mojo \* > \*\*If you would cleanse your body properly after using the toilet, then you would not need underwear to sop up the excess filth. Any guy who says that he cannot extract the last piss drop before zipping up is just being lazy. If you put in just a little extra effort on personal cleanliness, then you never need to walk around with urine and fæces soiling your clothing. If you cannot manage this basic art of civilized life, then I pity you. \*\* Spoken by a man who’s obviously never had prostrate gland issues, or difficulty with external hemorrhoids. Your experience is not universal. Sadly, your contempt for those with common physical disorders is all too common. QtM, MD ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2003, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-underwear/210806/12 "2003-11-01T15:17:43Z")
Um… I don’t have any disorders, and I never said anything about feces on my clothing… I was merely remarking on a universal truth known to stand up comics everywhere- you can never shake off the last drop. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2003, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-underwear/210806/13 "2003-11-01T15:19:14Z")
I’m old enough to know how to cleanse myself properly, which is to say more than about 5 or 6 year old. It is possible to get the last piss drop out without ejaculating. If the slight amount of extra effort needed to remove the last piss drop causes you to ejaculate, you may have a condition known as Premature Ejaculation (PE). Don’t despair, there is medical help available for PE sufferers. Wear the white ribbon of the PE Foundation to support research into finding a cure for this devastating scourge. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2003, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-underwear/210806/14 "2003-11-01T15:21:28Z")
**jomo** , I expected better from you. ---
**Author:** ![lee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lee/32/7455_2.png) [@lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lee)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2003, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-underwear/210806/15 "2003-11-01T15:25:03Z")
Even if women clean with soap and water and dry thoroughly after using the toilet, there is still moistness that needs to be wicked away. For some of us conciderable moisture. Not to mention a place for mentrual pads because tampons alone are not enough. I shudder to think of a world before women wore drawers. ---
**Author:** ![TheLadyLion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d78d45/32.png) [@TheLadyLion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLadyLion)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2003, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-underwear/210806/16 "2003-11-01T16:15:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jomo Mojo \* > \*\*I’m old enough to know how to cleanse myself properly, which is to say more than about 5 or 6 year old. > > It is possible to get the last piss drop out without ejaculating. If the slight amount of extra effort needed to remove the last piss drop causes you to ejaculate, you may have a condition known as Premature Ejaculation (PE)…\*\* What? **Jomo** , nice to know you have learned better hygiene over the past 5-6 years, and good for you that you feel self-righteous about it. But shaking off that last piss-drop has NOTHING to do with premature ejaculation. As for women, **lee** and **thatDDperson** nailed it. That about covers the realm of problems that make me (for one) glad someone invented underwear. And speaking of “a place for mentrual pads because tampons alone are not enough,” who in the world thought of the mini-pad for thongs? When I first heard of those, I laughed so hard, my stress incontinence kicked in! ---
**Author:** ![syncrolecyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@syncrolecyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/syncrolecyne)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2003, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-underwear/210806/17 "2003-11-01T16:18:49Z")
In my opinion, denim, corduroy, or flannel like materials are just to rough to wear directly on my bottom area. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2003, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-underwear/210806/18 "2003-11-01T16:19:31Z")
OK, for anybody who doesn’t suffer from hemorrhoids or prostate problems — which is probably a majority of the population, at least I hope it is — what prevents them from getting properly cleansed after using the toilet? Standup comics are not enough to prove a point; if you think they are, then you probably also consider it proven that Al Gore claimed to have invented the internet. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2003, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-underwear/210806/19 "2003-11-01T16:34:10Z")
Ignoring prostate and rectal disorders (which affect about 3/4 of the male population over age 50 at one time or another) we also have the fact that over half the population, male and female, have very active apocrine sweat glands in the groin, and frequently the rectal area. They put out a high-fat content version of sweat even after a nice morning shower and application of powder, and the mosture produced has to go somewhere. Without nice absorbant underwear, changed daily, the outer clothes will get funky pretty fast. This is due to happy bacteria in the sweat making a variety of odiferous breakdown products. Why do you think so many mothers tell their children to make sure they put on clean underwear before they go out? Most people get odiferous pretty quick, just on the basis of scrotal or labial sweat. This is called osmidrosis. Crotches smell! Even the best-maintained ones do so. This is normal physiology. Underclothing is mankind’s recognition of this fact. ---
**Author:** ![olefin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d78d45/32.png) [@olefin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/olefin)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2003, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-underwear/210806/20 "2003-11-01T16:35:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jomo Mojo \* > \*\*If you would cleanse your body properly after using the toilet, then you would not need underwear to sop up the excess filth. \*\* I agree 100%… I sometimes wear underwear but after a day they are perfectly clean. (for some reason my wife thinks I’m suppose to wear underwear) Women have more of a problem and may require underwear to soak up the leakage. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-underwear/210806.md?page=2)